The veteran singer was vulnerable to false allegations as a prominent person, like those accused as part of the failed Operation Midland, it is claimed.

His lawyers argue that publicity around the Jimmy Savile scandal led to false claims being made , something that should have been considered by BBC journalists before they named Sir Cliff as a suspected abuser.

The report, by former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, blasted the Met for carrying out a string of raids on public figures based only on the word of a fantasist known as ‘Nick’.

It led to raids on the homes of D-Day veteran Lord Bramall, late former Home Secretary Lord Brittan and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor, but the investigation closed last year without any arrests.

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The BBC revealed Sir Cliff Richard was being investigated in Operation Midland despite no charges being made (Image: PA)

Sir Cliff’s barrister, Justin Rushbrooke QC, states in High Court papers lodged in March: “Publicity given to recent criminal investigations into allegations of historic sexual abuse appears to have generated many false allegations..as well as truthful ones, a fact that would have been readily foreseeable [to the BBC reporter].

“In this regard the Claimant will, if necessary, rely on the findings of the Independent Review of the Metropolitan Police Service’s handling of non-recent sexual offence investigations produced by Sir Richard Henriques.”

The review found failings including helping Nick apply for compensation during the probe, giving false information to a judge, announcing Nick’s claims were ‘credible and true’ and searching one suspect’s home ‘as if looking for bodies’.

Sir Cliff, 76, also argues that investigations into celebrities and other public figures accused of historical sexual abuse should be kept secret until they are charged.

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Mr Rushbrooke said: “There is no public interest, ‘strong’ of weak, in the reporting of criminal investigations into prominent public figures (or anyone else) prior to the individual in question having been charged with an offence, save in exceptional circumstances (none of which applied in the Claimant’s case).”

Sir Cliff had a ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’ about the fact he was under investigation would not be made public, the documents state.

The lawyers say that allegations of historical abuse sexual abuse against Jimmy Savile and other public figures have no relevance as to whether Sir Cliff should have been named by the BBC as a suspect.

Met Assistant Commission Martin Hewitt could tomorrow be summonsed to give evidence at the High Court about an alleged leak about Sir Cliff being probed from Operation Yewtree.